Home Depot Kids Workshop

One of the last things that David need to do to earn his Wolf Badge in Cub scouts was to build something useful out of wood, using a tool like a hammer or a screwdriver. Every month Home Depot has free projects for kids to do this exact kind of project. They each get an orange apron, a certificate, and a pin (to put on the apron). I took David and Josh and they had a blast building a little wheelbarrow planter. I think we will try and make it there each month!

David turns 9

Spring brings a bunch of birthdays in our family! David turned 9 on May 11th and had a fun birthday. We went as a family to Chuck E. Cheeses and all had fun playing the games. Then we came home to enjoy yummy ice cream pie and had David open his present. All he wanted for his birthday was an Mp3 player. We surprised him with one that can take videos and pictures, play videos, and of course play music.



He was very excited when he opened it. Here is David with his "cake".


Blowing out the candles...



We are so glad to have David in our family. He is very creative, loves to play with his webkinz, and has a sweet and tender heart. I think his new favorite animal is the platypus, although he still really likes turtles. Happy Birthday David!

E-Mealz

For me, one of the hardest parts of grocery shopping and making dinner is just coming up with what to make. I usually end up making the same thing over and over again. I finally tried E-Mealz because I had heard it advertised on Dave Ramsey's radio program so often. It is a meal planning service that gives you weekly shopping lists and menus. They have different lists that go with different stores and they have some different options (low-fat, low carb, and even a weight watchers point based menu). I have actually tried a similar service before, and ended up not liking most of the recipes. Our family has tried this now for a few weeks and it's a big hit. Aaron told me that he likes most of the new recipes. Even the kids have cleared their plates most of the time. Other than the main dish, it also gives side dish suggestions. That is something that I've always had a hard time coming up with. The program is only $5 a month (definitely worth the time that it usually takes me to come up with a plan and a shopping list). You pay for 3 months at a time. If you enter the word DAVE into the box at checkout, you will get 2.50 off your total. They have some sample menus on the website if you want to try some first. Here are a few of the meals that I am making this week.

Poppy Seed Chicken
White Rice
Steamed Broccoli
Sliced Cantaloupe

Enchilada Pie
Yellow Rice
Pineapple Kiwi Toss

Fish Filet Parmesan w/
Almonds
Sautéed Asparagus
Scalloped Potatoes

Foot long BLT
Sliced Oranges

The meals have all been easy to make. Having my meals planned out for me really takes some stress off of me - and I am saving money at the grocery store. I thought I would pass along something that I have found very useful. Please check it out!

My baby is now 4

We had a fun time celebrating Emma's birthday. She turned 4 on April 26th. I can't believe how old she is getting! She wanted a flower cake for her birthday so this is what I came up with.

Here she is blowing out the candles.

She got this cute monkey from Rachel. Rachel had "points" she earned from reading books and she was able to get this from the store at school. Emma loved it! It was actually her favorite present.

Here she it opening a present from us. She loves letters, numbers, and animals, so we got her a bunch of fun refrigerator magnets. She spells out her name on the fridge, puts a number 4 beside it, and a pig (her favorite animal).


Emma is a very sweet girl. If you call her anything else - like a sweetie or something, she says "no, I am a princess!". She's very quiet, but after you get to know her - she warms up quite a bit. During the day, when it's just Emma and me at home, she talks non stop. She also loves High School Musical and likes to pretend that she is Sharpay. She loves music. I gave her an old mp3 player and she loves to listen and sing to music. She is a joy and we love having her in our family!